Canola is the latest oilseed crop to be drought-proofed.

University of Queensland (UQ) plant scientists are searching canola collections to find varieties that use less water but still produce well.

Canola, which is mainly used in margarines, cooking oils and salad dressings, is Australia's most important oilseed crop with 1.4 million hectares sown annually worth about $560 million.

Molecular plant breeder and Project manager Dr Chris Lambrides (right on photo) said his UQ team was selecting varieties that had high transpiration efficiency i.e. produced more, leaf, stem and grains but used water conservatively.

Dr Lambrides said his team was working with a transpiration efficiency gene identified in a related species by collaborators at ANU.

Part of the research involves studying water use of a sample of canola varieties during six weeks' growth in rain-proof pots.

“The long-term aim is to improve the reliability and overall grain production of canola in Australia,” Dr Lambrides said.

His team includes of Associate Professor Ian Godwin, PhD student Shek Hossain (left on photo) and Honorary Research Fellow Dr Mal Hunter.

The project is funded by the Australian Research Council and Australia's biggest hybrid seed company Pacific Seeds in Toowoomba.